Acute coronary syndrome associated with Churg-Strauss syndrome

A 41 -year old female patient was admitted with acute onset of dyspnea and chest pain. Previous history revealed asthma, chronic sinusitis and eosinophilic proctitis. Electrocardiogram showed anterior ST-segment elevations and inferior ST-segment depression. Immediate heart catheterization revealed a distally occluded left anterior descending coronary artery, the occlusion being reversible after nitroglycerine. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was consistent with perimyocarditis. Hypereosinophilia and IgE elevation were present and Churg-strauss syndrome was diagnosed.     

A boy with Churg-Strauss syndrome and thrombosis associated with eosinophilia

A 13-year-old boy, recently diagnosed as having Churg-Strauss syndrome, presented with a thrombus at the level of the aortic bifurcation. Echocardiography revealed a left-ventricular thrombus as well. He was treated by means of surgical thrombectomy, corticosteroids, heparinisation and a coumarine derivative. Eosinophilia (an increase in the number of eosinophilic granulocytes in the circulation or tissues) occurs in various diseases, such as allergic diseases, parasitic infestations, haematologic diseases and autoimmune diseases like the rare Churg-Strauss syndrome. It appears likely that eosinophilia played an important role in the development of both thrombi in the described patient. Eosinophils produce cationic proteins that may inhibit the effect of natural anticoagulants. Infiltration of eosinophils may also cause endocardial damage with the subsequent formation of intracardial thrombi.     

Churg-Strauss syndrome.

The presentation of Churg-Strauss syndrome is most distinctive, permitting diagnosis on clinical grounds. It is a phasic disorder with allergic rhinitis and asthma initially, often followed by peripheral blood eosinophilia with eosinophilic tissue infiltrates. The vasculitic illness is the life-threatening phase, but it can be effectively suppressed by prompt treatment.     

Churg-Strauss syndrome complicated by polyneuropathy

Apart from some inherited forms, polyneuropathy is a disorder secondary to systemic diseases. The symptoms of chronic polyneuropathy usually appear some years after the main disease has been diagnosed. However, the acute-subacute form can be the first manifestation of a systemic disease, when its typical clinical features are still absent. The diagnosis of polyneuropathy is based on clinical symptoms and electrophysiologic studies, and it also could be supported by spinal fluid examination and peripheral nerve biopsy. The authors report here a case presenting as Churg-Strauss syndrome complicated with subacute axonal polyneuropathy and eosinophilia characteristic of the disease. Although Churg-Strauss syndrome is rare, it is important to recognise it, because remission depends on immunosuppressive therapy introduced in the early stage.     

Churg-Strauss syndrome in a patient with asthma treated with montelukast

A 75-year-old woman with a history of asthma, rhinitis and nasal polyps was admitted due to petechial lesions on the lower left leg and weakness of the right foot. Six weeks prior to admission, she had started treatment with montelukast 10 mg daily. Based on the asthma, eosinophilia, mononeuritis of the right leg and a skin biopsy showing small vessel vasculitis with eosinophilic granulocytes, the patient was diagnosed with Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS). After consulting with the pulmonologist, montelukast therapy was discontinued and replaced with a combined preparation of a parasympatholytic and a P2-sympathomimetic. The patient was also given prednisone 60 mg daily, which resulted in prompt clinical improvement and resolution of the eosinophilia. Development of CSS has been associated with the use of montelukast and should be considered in patients with asthma who develop new symptoms, such as neuritis, vasculitis of the skin or pulmonary infiltrates with an increase in eosinophilia during montelukast therapy. In these patients, treatment with montelukast should be discontinued, although whether a causal relationship exists between montelukast and CSS continues to be debated in the literature.     

Risk factors associated with HIV infection among male prostitutes.

OBJECTIVES. This study documents the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted disease seroprevalence rate for male prostitutes, identifies the risk factors for HIV, and provides baseline information for the development and implementation of appropriate prevention and intervention strategies. METHODS. Structured interviews were conducted with and blood samples were collected from 235 actively working male prostitutes in Atlanta, Georgia, from July 1988 through July 1991. RESULTS. The HIV seroprevalence was 29.4%; 25.1% of the sample had seromarker for syphilis and 58.3% for hepatitis B. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the following significant HIV risk factors: history of receptive anal sex with nonpaying partners, serologic history of hepatitis B or syphilis, and history of childhood physical abuse. CONCLUSIONS. The reported seroprevalence rates among these male prostitutes indicate they are a high-risk group. The striking difference in HIV seroprevalence by sexual orientation may warrant special attention. Considering the public health consequences, there is a clear need for innovative HIV prevention and intervention among these men.     

Seasonality and factors associated with cryptosporidiosis among individuals with HIV infection.

The seasonality and factors associated with Cryptosporidium infection were assessed in a cohort of HIV-infected patients in Los Angeles County to better define the epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis among individuals with HIV. Data were analysed from a cohort of 4247 patients > or = 13 years of age with HIV infection enrolled from four outpatient facilities in Los Angeles, 1990-6. Cryptosporidiosis was diagnosed in 120 (2.8%) patients. Among the 1296 individuals with complete follow-up until death, cryptosporidiosis occurred in 69 (5.3%). The seasonal rate of cryptosporidiosis showed a modest bimodal trend with the highest rates occurring in March-May and September-October. There was no difference in the rate of cryptosporidiosis for the periods of heaviest rainfall (December-March) and low rainfall (April-November). Infection rates were higher among males (1.59 per 100 person-years) than females (0.92) and lower in blacks (0.98) than other racial/ethnic groups (1.80). A significant trend of decreasing cryptosporidiosis was observed with increasing age, with the highest rate (2.34) in the 13-34 year age group. A strong association between cryptosporidiosis and CD4+ count was noted. These data suggest that cryptosporidiosis among HIV-infected individuals in Los Angeles County exhibits a modest spring and fall seasonality. This pattern of occurrence of cryptosporidiosis appears temporally unrelated to local rainfall patterns. Our findings suggest that HIV-infected men, individuals in younger age groups and those with CD4+ lymphocyte counts < 100 x 10(6)/l are at increased risk of cryptosporidiosis. Blacks with HIV infection appear less likely than other racial/ethnic groups to be diagnosed with Cryptosporidium infection. These results may provide insight into possible routes of transmission and sources of cryptosporidiosis infection in individuals with HIV.     

Toxic shock-like syndrome associated with necrotizing Streptococcus pyogenes infection

Two patients with toxic shock-like syndrome are presented. Both patients had necrotizing cellulitis due to Streptococcus pyogenes, and both patients required extensive surgical debridement. The association of Streptococcus pyogenes infection and toxic shock-like syndrome is discussed.     

Emerging disease issues and fungal pathogens associated with HIV infection.

Fungal diseases are increasing among patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1. Infections due to Candida and Cryptococcus are the most common. Although mucocutaneous candidiasis can be treated with oral antifungal agents, increasing evidence suggests that prolonged use of these drugs results in both clinical and microbiologic resistance. The optimal therapy for cryptococcal meningitis remains unresolved, although initial treatment with amphotericin B, followed by life-long maintenance therapy with fluconazole, appears promising. Most cases of histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, and blastomycosis occur in regions where their causative organisms are endemic, and increasing data suggest that a significant proportion of disease is due to recent infection. Aspergillosis is increasing dramatically as an opportunistic infection in HIV-infected patients, in part because of the increased incidence of neutropenia and corticosteroid use in these patients. Infection due to Penicillium marneffei is a rapidly growing problem among HIV-infected patients living in Southeast Asia. Although the advent of oral azole antifungal drugs has made primary prophylaxis against fungal diseases in HIV-infected patients feasible, many questions remain to be answered before the preventive use of antifungal drugs can be advocated.     

HIV感染者/AIDS患者的家属及朋友感染HIV的相关因素分析

目的 探讨人类免疫缺陷病毒（human immunodeficiency virus,HIV）感染者/获得性免疫缺陷综合征（acquired immunodeficiency syndrome,AIDS）患者的家属及朋友感染HIV的现状和相关影响因素。方法 采取横断面研究设计,通过方便抽样方法和自行设计的调查问卷,于2013年3～6月对广州市第八人民医院感染科住院及门诊部的192名HIV感染者/AIDS患者的家属及朋友进行面对面问卷调查。结果 192位HIV感染者/AIDS患者的家属及朋友中,感染者家属占86.5%（166/192）,感染者家属及朋友的HIV感染率为36.5%（70/192）。多因素Logistic回归分析表明,与感染者的关系为配偶或性伴（OR=4.464,95%CI：2.128～9.366）、同性恋/双性恋（OR=4.523,95%CI：1.676～12.209）、吸毒（OR=6.755,95%CI：1.720～26.528）是感染者家属及朋友感染HIV的危险因素;与感染者感情关系亲密（OR=0.229,95%CI：0.097～0.539）是其感染HIV的保护因素。结论 HIV感染者/AIDS患者的配偶或性伴与其存在着性关系,故感染HIV风险较其他亲友高,但与HIV感染者/AIDS患者感情亲密的配偶或性伴较感情疏远者感染HIV风险低。同性恋/双性恋、吸毒是感染HIV的高危因素。关于与HIV感染者/AIDS患者感情关系和除配偶或性伴以外其他亲友感染HIV的相关关系,仍需进一步研究。     

Economic methods for measuring the quality of life associated with HIV infection

Background: Quality of life is measured as utilities for cost-effectiveness analyses. Objective: To test the adequacy of three common utility elicitation methods for individuals with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) disease. Measurements: HIV-positive participants (n=75) rated three standardized health states (symptomatic HIV infection, minor AIDS defining illness, and major AIDS defining illness) with two utility elicitation methods (Standard Gamble [SG], and Time Trade-off [TTO]) and one value method (Visual Analog [VA]). Participants also rated their own health with one utility method (Health Utilities Index [HUI]) and one conventional quality of life method (Medical Outcomes Study–HIV Health Survey [MOS-HIV]). Results: For all states, SG and TTO scores ranged from near 0.00 (equivalent to death) to 1.00 (best possible quality of life). Mean scores for symptomatic HIV were similar with the SG (0.80) and TTO (0.81) but higher than with the VA (0.70). Similar results were observed for minor AIDS defining illnesses (0.65, 0.65, 0.46 respectively) and major AIDS defining illnesses (0.42, 0.44, 0.25 respectively). Discrepant SG and TTO scores were observed in many individuals and were not explained by demographic characteristics. As expected, HUI scores of an individual's own health were related to the disease state. Four of ten MOS-HIV subscales (overall health, physical functioning, role functioning, and pain) were also related to disease state. HUI scores were correlated with the MOS-HIV score for overall health and for all MOS-HIV subscales except health transition. Conclusions: Mean utility scores for HIV-related health states elicited by the Standard Gamble and Time Trade-off were similar but a large degree of individual variation persists. Economic methods provide imprecise estimates of the quality of life associated with HIV infection.     

HIV infection is associated with decreased dietary diversity in South African children

Little is known about dietary diversity of children residing in areas of high HIV prevalence. This study examined dietary diversity in 381 children ages 6-24 mo in rural South Africa. Twenty-eight (7.3%) children and 170 mothers (44.6%) were HIV infected. Home visits were conducted weekly and a detailed history of dietary intake obtained. A dietary diversity score was computed based on the weekly consumption of 8 food classes. Low dietary diversity was defined as falling within the lowest quartile of the diversity scale. There were 22,772 child weeks of observation: 1369 for HIV-infected children, 8876 for HIV-uninfected children born to HIV-infected mothers, and 12,527 for HIV-uninfected children born to HIV-uninfected mothers. Low dietary diversity was more common in HIV-infected children [crude odds ratio (OR), 2.59; 95% CI, 1.52 to 4.41) compared with children born to HIV-uninfected mothers. In a multiple logistic regression analysis adjusting for socioeconomic and health status, HIV-infected children had lower dietary diversity (conditional OR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.06 to 2.94) than HIV-uninfected children. HIV-infected children consumed less in 6 of 8 food classes compared with HIV-uninfected children, with the 2 exceptions being breast milk and formula milk. In rural South Africa, HIV-infected children's diets are significantly less diverse than those of HIV-uninfected children. This may be a factor contributing to increased morbidity and poorer survival in these children.